9-Nights Tailor Made Vietnam & Cambodia: The Mekong & Angkor Wat - Luxury Tailor Made Travel — CALL

Abercrombie & Kent: Tailor Made Vietnam & Cambodia: The Mekong & Angkor Wat

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to your luxurious hotel.

Begin your day with a visit with local artisans. Afterward, explore Chinatown by cyclo (rickshaw), stopping at a traditional Chinese medicine shop and herbal market. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Reunification Hall. Continue to the Museum of Vietnamese History or view photographs from Bunyo Ishikawa, a Vietnam War photojournalist, at the War Remnants Museum. Finish by getting in touch with southern Vietnam’s spiritual side at Cao Dai Temple.

After a morning at leisure, transfer to My Tho and board luxurious ‘Aqua Mekong’ to set sail on the fabled Mekong. The twelfth-largest river in the world,the Mekong spans 2,700 miles and flows through six countries, from the Tibetan Plateau through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,Cambodia and Vietnam. Serving as a major trade route between Western China and Southeast Asia, this “mother of water” — also called the River Khong— flows through mountains and dense forests and past floating markets, affording a scenic passage through areas of rich biodiversity.

Begin the day at Binh Thanh village to observe mat-weaving. Alternately, visit the port city of Sa Dec, seeing its vibrant market and the house of French authorMarguerite Duras’ lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Here, she set much of her autobiographical novel, The Lover. After lunch on board, visit the quaint village of MyAn Hung. Traverse its lush plantations and sample local fruit alongside residents while listening to traditional folk music. You may also set out on anoptional bike ride.

Travel by skiff to Chau Doc floating market. Then, pay a visit to Long Son Pagoda atop Sam Mountain, where you visit with monks. You may also choose tocycle on Long Khanh Island or take a rickshaw ride to Tan Chau Market alongside your vessel’s chef. After lunch, relax by the pool or learn to cook Mekong inspired dishes as your vessel crosses into Cambodia.

On your final day on the legendary river, learn about the art of dyeing and weaving traditional kromas (scarves), gaining insight from locals. You mayalso explore the riverbank by bike. Enjoy lunch, and then board a skiff to visit the remote village of Preah Prosop to experience the pace and practices of daily life.

Disembark in Phnom Penh. See the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum by tuk-tuk. You maythen opt to make a poignant visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, which serves as a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Alternatively, shop for handicrafts at the busy Russian Market. Afterward, transfer to airport and fly to Siem Reap, where you enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.

Begin your day with a visit to lesser known Banteay Srei, a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Stop at the Cambodia Clean Water Project, an Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy-sponsored initiative that builds pumping wells in rural communities throughout the country, before stopping for lunch. This afternoon, visit Angkor Thom, the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. See the richly adorned Bayon Temple with its 172 large-scale faces. Then, view the Terrace of Elephants, its time-worn stone walls displaying pachyderms in bas-relief and the Terrace of the Leper King, believed to have been used as a royal cremation site.

Rise early this morning to experience the incomparable serenity and inspiration of watching the sun rise over mystical Angkor Wat before exploring the vast temple complex with your expert local guide. Later in the morning, discover the mysterious tree-root entangled ruins of Ta Phrom. The remainder of your day is at leisure, free to further explore Siem Reap on your own, indulge in your hotel’s amenities or simply relax. Tonight, dine at a local restaurant and reflect on your journey.

After a morning at leisure, transfer to the airport to board your departing flight.